The day the music died

When Greyhound, by many regarded as the best trotter of all times, retired, his owner, EJ Baker, was looking for other interesting prospects. In 1943 he found The Grey Ghost’s successor when he bought the horse almost everybody thought would break all trotting records. However, less than a year later that horse had passed away. The untimely death of Volo Song has been called one of the greatest tragedies to befall trotting.

Volo Song was foaled in 1940 at Walnut Hall Farm. A son of Volomite out of the fantastic broodmare Evensong, his siblings include Kentucky Futurity winner Twiling Song, Victory Song and Hit Song, both second in Hambletonian, and Scotch Song, dam of Hambletonian winner Lusty Song as well as Scotch Rhythm. He was purchased for $5,000 by William Strang who put him in training with Ben White. Strang also owned the winner of the 1942 Hambletonian, The Ambassador. After the Hambletonian win of the latter, Strang, in “post-race excitement” gave away a substantial amount of the $20,489 winner’s check, giving trainer Ben White $5,000, instead of the customary 10 %, and, according to Dean Hoffman’s book Harness Racing in New York, handing “each of Ben White’s caretakers a bill that would buy a small piece of property in the area of Lexington, Kentucky, where many of them lived.”

An early talent

As a two-year old Volo Song quickly established himself as the best in his crop, winning all stake engagements including the junior Kentucky Futurity and Tompkins, and trotting in 2:03 1/2 (1.16,8). The next year he won the Matron, American-National, the Review Stakes in addition to the Hambletonian. His Hambletonian win was of the impressive kind. In the first heat Volo Song made a big break but rebounded to finish a close third, timed around 2:00 (1.14,6), before sweeping the next two heats in easy and convincing fashion.

Early in 1944, Volo Song was purchased by EJ Baker whose Baker Acres stable was the winningest stable owned by one person for many years. One of Volo Song’s stablemates was Hall of Fame pacer King’s Counsel. In early June, trainer Henry Fitzpatrick told Harness Horse that “Volo Song could move away from King’s Counsel in any kind of a mile,” a statement which most questioned. Within a month, however, nobody would ever question the abilities of Volo Song after a spectacular display at North Randall in Cleveland.

A demonstration of speed

In the Stallion Stakes, Volo Song set a new world record for 4 year olds in 1:57 3/4 (1.13,2), but it wasn’t the world record in itself but rather the way he did it which impressed everybody. To quote from the Harness Horse, it was “a demonstration of speed so unexpected and executed with such brilliancy as to leave many speechless for the time being, then a quick gathering and a comparison of watches among owners and trainers, practically all watches showed 1:57 to 1:57 1/4, (from 1.12,7 to 1.12,9) but the official reported give it as 1:57 3/4 (1.13,2) with the following quarters: :29 1/4, 30, 30 1/4 and 28 1/4. Volo Song lacked competition and encouragement inasmuch as he moved away from his opposition early, and Fitzpatrick was seemingly letting the new champion four-year-old suit himself in the stretch until shouts of the crowd evidently caused him to tap Volo Song lightly, just once, and the response was electrifying, he seemingly turning on a degree of speed surpassing any previously displayed and evidencing the fact that had a supreme effort been made at other points, all race records would have been shattered. A concluding quarter at a 1:54 (1.10,9) clip on the end of a mile in 1:57 3/4 (1.13,2) which was practically five seconds faster than the grand young stallion ever previously trotted, certainly justified the claims of critical horsemen that Mr. Baker had in Volo Song, the greatest ever foaled.”

Even EJ Baker was convinced that Volo Song would break Greyhound’s magical 1:55 1/4 (1.11,6) record, a view shared by trainer Sep Palin – and Baker and Palin knew a little bit about what was required. They were also owner and trainer of the legendary Greyhound, but viewed Volo Song as at least equally capable.

The fateful decision

After Cleveland the question was; where to race next? Later, H.M. Parshall said that if they had sent Volo Song to the lightning fast track at Old Orchard Beach, Maine, he would have trotted in 1:54 1/2 (1.11,2). However, the decision was made to go to an exhibition race in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. It would prove a fateful decision.

According to an article in The Milwaukee Sentinel on July 16, 1944, “The promising career of Volo Song, 4 year old world’s champion stallion, came to a tragic end here today when the Hambletonian king fractured the ankle bone in his left foreleg as he led the field in the first heat of the free for all, feature race of the harness program at Walworth county fairgrounds. Dr JP West of Madison diagnosed the break as a compound fracture of the bone between the left front ankle and hoof. It was a bad break, running into the ankle joint, said Dr West.” Given his fantastic career and enormous talent, an effort was made to save the horse but it proved futile and he was euthanized July 19, 1944 at Bakers Acres, near Libertyville, Illinois.

Volo Song could, and probably should, have taken a spot in history as of one of the greatest of all times. However, his early and tragic death has caused many to be unaware of this immensely talented horse. Those who saw him still talk of him as the perfect trotter with a flawless gait. He was never beaten in a mile track race in his entire career, and was well on course to beat Greyhound’s legendary record. At the time of his death Volo Song’s personal record was 1:57 3/4 (1.13,2) and was rapidly improving; in comparison, at the end of his four-year-old season Greyhound had a record of 1:57 1/4 (1.12,9).

The song American Pie is about “the day the music died.” A trotting version should undoubtedly have been about Volo Song and the much too early death of one of the most perfect trotters ever. Volo Song is buried next to stablemate Greyhound in EJ Baker’s cemetary at Red Gate Farm in St. Charles, Illinois. Volo Song was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1957.